Many different types of toys are known and have become widespread and popular over the years. In particular, radio-controlled toys, such as radio-controlled cars, have become very popular with children over the years. A disadvantage of such toy cars, however, is that generally speaking they are fixed in design and cannot be changed. This means that a child can often become bored with them after a period of time. Furthermore, many children express satisfaction with being able to build or work on a toy themselves. Yet, many radio-controlled cars are complex and have components which are complicated and not easily adapted to be built or switched out by children. What is needed is a radio-controlled toy having easily interchangeable components such that a child may be able to build or customize their own toys.
Additionally, radio transmitters used by radio-controlled toys are often complex and difficult to operate. Some transmitters are used to charge the radio-controlled toys for use by providing a charging means on the transmitter for connecting to the toy. Often, it is difficult to tell whether charging has been completed, thereby wasting valuable power associated with the charging means. Therefore, what is needed is a transmitter having an easy to understand control panel.
A third aspect of this invention relates to an assembly for retaining a radio-controlled toy on a transmitter while it is being charged. It is often difficult to align the toy with the charging mechanism used to charge the toy. Furthermore, upon alignment, it is difficult to maintain a good connection between the charging mechanism and the toy, which can lead to intermittent, and therefore, inefficient charging. Therefore, what is needed, is an easy to use and reliable means for aligning and retaining the toy on the transmitter during charging.